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Enlarge ImageRequest to buy this photoDavid Goldman | Associated PressDaniel Herron, signing an autograph during training camp, is tied for first in the NFL with 111 rushing yards after two exhibition games.

CINCINNATI — Two scarlet Ohio State baseball caps sit in the upper left corner of Daniel Herron’s
locker within Paul Brown Stadium.

They mark how far the second-year Cincinnati Bengals running back has come and how far he still
has to go.

Herron finds himself a world away from Columbus. He is no longer the Buckeyes’ starter in the
backfield, where he rushed for 2,869 yards over four seasons, 10th in school history. He is no
longer carrying the ball 20 times a game. He is no longer part of a scandal for selling memorabilia
in exchange for tattoos.

Instead, he finds himself fighting for a roster spot.

“I’m going to do my best with whatever job they present me with,” Herron, 24, said.

Lately, his jobs have primarily been on the Bengals’ special teams, on kickoffs, kickoff
returns, punts and punt returns. Although he only played on kickoff returns at Ohio State — and
sparingly still — it’s where he made his mark last season in blocking a punt during a Dec. 31 game
against Philadelphia.

This month, he has left an impression on offense, as well. In Cincinnati’s 27-19 preseason
victory over Tennessee on Saturday, the Warren native rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown on nine
carries. On a 40-yard touchdown run, Herron took the handoff and darted right, before quickly
reversing field and racing past the defensive backfield.

“Anytime you have a really good game, of course it’s always a little encouraging,” he said
before practice yesterday. “But at the same time, you have to understand that you can’t read into
it. You have to keep getting better, keep working.”

Through two exhibition games, he has rushed for 111 yards, tied for first in the league.

A sixth-round pick by the Bengals in 2012, Herron did not make the team out of training camp
last season. Slowed by injuries, he was cut, but then added to the practice squad. It served as
another low point, on top of his five-game suspension for violating NCAA rules as a senior in
2011.

“Anytime you go through situations, I think it makes you a stronger person and also a stronger
player,” Herron said. “I went through a little adversity back at Ohio State, and things didn’t go
as I wanted at the beginning of last year. It’s making me more hungry.”

Coach Marvin Lewis has taken notice.

“Dan has done a really good job,” Lewis said. “He’s such a hard-working guy. I think that’s
continued to pay off for him.”

Still, Herron, who again is eligible for the practice squad, could be on the short end of the
stick when the roster is trimmed to 53 players on Aug. 31. With just four to five running backs
expected to be on the roster, he is competing with Rex Burkhead and Bernard Scott for the final
spots.

But he is faster, now, Herron said. And healthy, and improved overall, perhaps aiding his
chances.

“My thing was just trying to get better overall as a back: blocking, catch the ball out of the
backfield and things like that,” Herron said. “That was a major thing I wanted to work on for this
year.”

For now, Herron won’t dwell on the math, or anything else. He will just suit up and
practice.

“I just have to focus on what I have to do,” he said. “That’s something I can’t really worry
about. You don’t wanna get caught up in that (numbers) game.”